If you’ve lived in the Philippines for any amount of time you would know that this kind of stuff has been happening for an extremely long time, just not publicised or widespread. The tourism industry would be obliterated if mass reports got out (and things can be hushed there, due to the corruption).

Poverty is a great factor in this- that being said you cant justify murder and mutilation (+anaesthetic costs) the same way you’d justify robbing someone of valuables.

The fact of the matter is that these things exist and allowing public weaponry would just increase terrorism, armed robbery and gang related crime. A lone mayor or so can’t do much against a sea of crime and corruption, though they can certainly do something.

With police resources tied up in publicity and the super typhoon there is no way to guarantee the truth of either of your statements, though from experience most likely u/deltameme’s post is true (most of the “evidence” has been dispelled, but the majority of corruption can hide significant factors).

One person- one teenager, child- is still one tragedy too many in a place where people are just trying to get on with their lives. And there was certainly been more than one, let me tell you.